Can anything be done to tame the Tiger?

Tiger's victory will lead to the inevitable comparisons with past masters of the game.

But what many of his contemporaries will wonder is how on earth the star can be stopped.

Despite attempts to Tiger-proof the course by extending the length and altering the bunkers, the rest of the pack were left chasing.

Is Tiger's dominance good for the game?

This debate has now closed - read your comments below

Who then are the gainers? The fans for one, have a superstar, a person they can worship, adore and dream to be like. Other professional golfers are gaining too. They earn more today than they ever would have because of this phenomenal man. The game is much more popular than it ever was during the pre-Woods era.

Who are the losers? Absolutely Nobody. Personally I haven't had enough of his dominance. Ride on Tiger.
Abiodun, USA

I have yet to see much evidence that Tiger's work ethic, focus, and technical brilliance have encouraged other players to improve their games to any great degree. Before last season, David Duval lost a tremendous amount of weight, and it resulted in his first Major win. However, this year, he has failed to shine; he even missed the cut this year. During this most recent tournament, Tiger won as much because he was able to intimidate his opponents into making errors.

I want to see someone challenge Tiger for real, because his hegemony is otherwise likely to continue for a long time - perhaps as long as ten, fifteen, or even twenty years. Nothing was more energizing for the game than the rivalry that emerged in the Sixties between Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. We need a new challenger to do the same again.
Ian Turvill, USA

As a Sports Psychologist and author, having worked with some of the worlds finest golfers from the tours, I can honestly say that Tiger has shown mental strength and determination that is totally unparalleled in the modern game. Well done Tiger, you really do set the pace!
Simon Bancroft, USA

We are fortunate to be seeing a once in a life time golfer, a real sporting genius.
David Telfer, Canada

Tiger makes the game of golf more exciting to watch. When he is around a lot people follow the game, even people who know very little about golf. If he continues to win tournaments with the aggression and guts he plays with I don't think his dominance is bad for the game at all. Instead it will motivate a higher class of average young golfers than before.
Ron Bhuyan, Canada

Tiger is brilliance personified yet humble. The biggest issue facing golf is NOT the fact that every competition turns into yet another Tiger Woods victory parade, but that almost all championship courses seem to have been adjusted with only one thing in mind - Tame the Tiger.

It no longer benefits golf to have courses where every wayward shot is punished in the extreme - it denigrates the spectacle of this noble game.

Better to rearrange hazards within the spirit of the original architect's aspirations, than to rebuild an entire course as it appears has happened at Augusta - why re-cut a precious diamond?
Michael Black, UK

Tiger is the first of a new bread of golfer. He is light years ahead of the rest. We have to wait now for this new type of golfer to arrive. Probably not for another 10 years. Good on him!!!
Andrew Gorman, Liverpool, England

Quite simply he shouldn't be tamed. Golf courses shouldn't be designed just to handicap one player - that is plainly unfair. We should just sit back and enjoy such a rare talent. It was merely Tiger's consistency that won it for him on Sunday and not the error-strewn rounds of his "peers".
Richard Dixon, UK

If he keeps winning so easily sponsors and crowds will eventually get bored and lose interest in the game. The other players must stop surrendering so meekly to him. It can be done, as most of last year's majors proved.
Peter, UK

Tiger's victory was a combination of mental toughness and a great deal of skill. He will keep winning if the others in the field don't start to play more consistently. At the moment he truly is the greatest golfer in the world.
Harry, England

His all round game is superb. He has tremendous imagination, maturity and discipline, but he is daring too. To play within himself and still beat fantastic players just shows how good he is. Tiger seems to have the ability to beat players psychologically, and they suffer if they just see him at the top of the leaderboard. To have won seven majors at just 26 is astounding - long may his success continue.
Ben, UK

I predicted that woods would win and I was right. His dominance was so clear cut during the Masters that in the final round he didn't have to switch to a higher gear because the competition just cannot match up to him. His dominance has led to him being an intimidator, which caused the rest of the field to crumble.
David Kidd, Singapore

There is no point in trying to make golf courses Tiger proof by lengthening them. Perhaps they should be making them shorter to make players think about what club to select at all holes, rather than just standing up and hitting the ball as hard as they can. The short game is where things are won or lost!
Sean Hackett, Ireland

Far from trying to stop Woods, we should be encouraging him to further heights, because his ultimate legacy will be to inspire new golfers who may perhaps better his record in time.
Philip Carey, UK

Tiger's achievements are his due, dint of his hard work, skill and mental fortitude. If he's dominating now, you can be sure that there are 100 young tykes hitting balls six hours a day somewhere, looking to knock him off his perch in years to come. Nothing is for ever. But Tiger will sure want to enjoy his time on the throne!
Rhys Jaggar, England

Tiger's dominance of golf is similar to Steve Davis' dominance of snooker is the early 1980's. At first we will all watch in awe, but soon we will all be willing the others to beat him, just to see him beat! Either way, we'll watch!!
Lance Strangely, UK

Tiger quite simply has a stranglehold on the rest of the field. As soon as Woods got a couple of shots ahead the rest seemed to give up! I also feel that lengthening golf courses only increases the chance that Woods will win. Designers need to shorten courses and introduce more hazards. Anyway, well done Tiger - seven majors by the age of 26 is some going.
Tony Sweet, UK

Tiger is the greatest.
Kaljit Gill, United Kingdom

Whatever you say about the equipment etc, it is the same for everyone. Tiger quite simply has a stranglehold on the rest of the field. As soon as Woods got a couple of shots ahead the rest of the field seemed to give up.
Tony Sweet, UK

I can't help but feel that technology (modern clubs and balls) has removed much of the skill top players displayed in days gone by. Aside from 25 putts per round, one of the main reasons players like Faldo, Norman, Langer, Price, Watson et al would dominate a tournament would be their mid and long range iron play.

With the revisions to Augusta making it longer, it was somewhat pitiful watching Singh, Goosen, Mickelson in particular and even Tiger trying to smash every tee shot to kingdom-come. So used to hitting eight and nine irons for their second shots, it was almost as if they couldn't stomach having to hit a five iron into a green on a par four.
Stuart R, UK

It is really down to the other top players to rise to the challenge, which at the moment none of them seem able to do. During Jack Nicklaus's period of domination players like Tom Watson, and in the earlier days Gary Player, had the game and the mental toughness to take him on in the Majors.

Looking at the players on the tours today I think that probably only Nick Faldo has that mental toughness. Unfortunatley he does not have the game anymore.
David Morris, UK

Woods is simply the best golfer of his generation by a very wide margin. His talents can easily be compared to those of Nicklaus, Hogan and others but should not be seen as superior because times are very different.

Despite his dominance, Woods is also a tremendous ambassador to the sport. Unlike other dominant sportsmen of his generation (Michael Schumacher springs to mind), he is not arrogant and driven to make snide comments about his fellow competitors. He is a true champion, a genius even, who lets his game do ALL the talking.
Michael Peel, Netherlands

Frankly, I don't think that Tiger needs to be tamed. Other than winning the Masters for the past two years, his record over the last year or so can hardly be described as spectacular.

Let's get this into context. Tiger played some good golf over the weekend but, the fact of the matter is, he won the Masters yesterday because he was the only player in contention not to make a complete mess of the final round. He only went round in one under par himself.
Rachel, UK

Augusta this year made the course 300+ yards longer for the Masters. This plays right into the hands of Tiger Woods who is the most consistent long hitter. Instead, they should keep golf courses the same length and reward accuracy with more hazards. This will bring more players into the range of Tiger.
Phil Owen, UK

Last evening's viewing after six holes became boring as a sporting spectacle - similar to watching Michael Schumacher driving round and round a motor racing circuit unchallenged.

Each and every one of his closest challengers capitulated making his task all the easier - he won with a closing 71. The other guys will have to get their minds sorted out and put up a more serious challenge or golf fans around the world will end up turning their sets off.
Graeme Wright, Scotland

While Woods is undoubtedly a truly exceptional golfer, the way the other leading players capitulated yesterday was very disapponting. Many of them seemed resigned to his victory before they'd even teed off.

As good as he is I don't believe his game is that much better than many other top players, but while he maintains his huge psychological edge over them I can't see anyone seriously challenging his dominance.
Matt, England

Limit shaft lengths to 42 inches. Make the courses tighter and the rough longer. There are many things to be done to make the game more difficult than it is at the moment. But whatever we do, Tiger will continue to win more than other players because he is consistently better than them.
Dave Irving, England

When he first started winning major tournaments like there was no tomorrow people questioned whether it would last. Well done Tiger for showing them that it is a real and LASTING talent that you have.
Gwen Dobson, UK

Tiger's affect on the world has been beneficial to all involved - except opponents now and again. Wood's has brought new interest to the game in the same way that all the other greats did in their time. He can make the game a joy to watch and long may it continue!
Graeme, UK

If a golf handicap is meant to mean that these top players play from a level starting-point, how come Tiger Woods is ripping up the course and the opposition? Do we need to give Tiger Woods a handicap so the rest of the field stand a chance?
Karen Bolton, England

Peter Aliss talked of the great players in years gone by. I wonder what Tiger would score if he had to use the same equipment that Ben Hogan used?
Glen Whitehead, UK

I think Tiger's dominance is good for the game. It gets people watching who aren't even golf fans. I am too young to remember Jack Nicklaus' dominance of the game. So now I can live to see Tiger break all the records. He is the present and future of the game, and as the new Master, he deserves to show the world how great he is.
Markus Liles, United States

Tiger's dominance is both a good thing and a bad thing. He sets an example to everyone of how to play sport: any sport, at any level of competition. But the other players have to hold their hands up to being masters of their own demise.

When a player or team has that sort of dominance people begin to wonder whether they can ever beat them and commit errors they wouldn't normally, and that can only be a bad thing.
Stephen, UK